Media Rights and Responsibilities

Tabloid journalism. Kinky TV talk shows. "Gangsta" rap music. Sexually explicit and violent movies. The media have established new outposts in the frontiers of taste that were thought impossible 30 years ago, and all in the name of First Amendment rights and giving the public what it wants. But with these rights come responsibilities that are seldom respected. What leverage can society use beyond the boycott and angry letter to put curbs on the more outrageous forms of media expression? What is the rightful role of government? How do we balance these measures with a healthy respect for creativity and freedom of expression? This program looks at all of the issues surrounding the media's pursuit of the advertising dollar versus its responsibility to exercise some concern for the public good.